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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27631580">A Farewell Lament</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/marigoldtragedy/pseuds/marigoldtragedy'>marigoldtragedy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Chaos Walking - Patrick Ness</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 17:47:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>581</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27631580</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/marigoldtragedy/pseuds/marigoldtragedy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A short exchange between Cillian and Ben regarding Todd's eventual departure from their home.</p><p>     (This is my first time posting in a couple of years so I'm a little rusty. I'm horrible with tags so there isn't anything at the moment but I may try to add some as I adjust! I don't really think this fic warrants much though.)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Cillian Boyd/Benison Moore</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Farewell Lament</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hey!  In honor of the trailer's release this morning (hell yeah, son!) I've decided to post this old piece. This is my first time posting a fic online in about ten years so I'm a little nervous. Hope you enjoy it!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>     Ben could hear Todd’s angry Noise sparking up amongst the indifferent Noise of the sheep coming from across the field. He looked over in the direction, a small smile playing at his lips though his chest was tight with emotion. He always felt it when he saw Todd or heard him or thought of him. Worry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Sighing, he gathered up his fishing gear and headed back towards the house. He heard Cillian inside, his own Noise laced with anger. He set everything out by the back door before entering the kitchen. Cillian turned to look at him and, even if they couldn’t hear each other’s Noise, their level gaze was enough for them to communicate without words. So, they stood there for a moment. Just stood and stared.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Cillian knew that Ben wished he and Todd could get along, but he also knew that his efforts to calm his Noise down wasn’t going to fool anyone. He sighed, leaning back against the counter and running his hand over his face. “He’s got no control,” he groaned, looking back up at Ben, and Ben could see the worry behind the frustration. He felt it too. “And we have less than a year now.” Another sigh. “He’s gonna get himself killed, Ben.” He hated saying it. One of Ben’s annoyingly endearing traits was his ability to at least act positively even when he didn’t feel it, but there was nothing positive to say about it. Todd’s Noise was undeniably blatant to read and there was nothing more dangerous. “How can we send him off like this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Ben looked back at the door leading outside to the fields where Todd was working with the sheep. “We still have time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Not enough.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “We’ve prepared him as much as we could.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “It doesn’t feel like </span>
  <em>
    <span>enough</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Ben could see the red anger in Cillian’s Noise. </span>
  <em>
    <span>How can you be so calm?</span>
  </em>
  <span> It said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “We’ve done what we can.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Cillian sighed in frustration, turning away. Ben frowned, moving closer to him and putting a hand on his shoulder. “The more you worry, the more you think about it, the harder it becomes to hide. Let it be, Cillian. There’s nothing more we can do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     As much as Cillian wanted to shout that doing nothing was exactly what was bothering him, he nodded in agreement. Ben saw it anyway but didn’t comment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Good,” Ben said and they both turned as Todd’s Noise got louder, nearing the house. Ben gave Cillian a small smile before heading into the next room. He heard Todd come in, heard Cillian send him off to bed, and heard his angry footsteps storming down the hall followed by a cloud of red Noise and Manchee, claws clicking on the floor, calling out for the boy’s attention.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     They longed to hold him close to them for as long as they could, their hearts already aching from the knowledge of their parting. They were hard on him, yes, preparing him for a future he wasn’t aware of, and it hurt them when he became angry with them for how hard they pushed him. But tenderness was an unwelcome and dangerous thing in Prentisstown, and they knew that the kind words that they wanted so much to say to him would only make him suspicious in a way that would then be released to the whole town, a risk they couldn’t afford. They just had to wait and hope that someday they would get a proper goodbye.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for taking an interest, friends! This was just a last-minute thought train work I threw together for my sister a couple of years back and, since I've decided to start sharing some of my work, I thought it'd be a good one to start with!</p><p>     Comments (constructive included) and kudos are always welcome! Let me know what y'all thought of the trailer!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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